Be Careful While Heading Back to School

 It’s that time of the year again when children are heading back to school. Nationwide, an estimated 55 million children have begun a new school year. About 13 percent or 7.5 million children will walk or ride a bike to and from school every day. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 4,743 pedestrian fatalities in 2012. The 14-and-younger age group accounted for 255 (5 percent) of those fatalities. More than one-fifth (22 percent) of the traffic fatalities in that age group involved pedestrians.

Back-to-School Tips
Here are a few simple tips for drivers and parents/caregivers to keep children safe on their way to school and avoid a tragic accident:
• Drivers should follow the speed limit and slow down in and around school zones. If you are driving during school travel times, allow additional time so you are not in a rush.
• Be extra careful near school buses and always stop when a school bus has its lights flashing or its stop sign raised. Never pass a school bus if the lights are still flashing. Look for children who may cross as the bus begins to move.
• Come to a complete stop at stop signs and watch for children on sidewalks or near crosswalks.
• Eliminate all distractions especially when you drive near schools or through school zones or residential neighborhoods. Any distraction, from texting or talking on the cell phone to eating, grooming or operating the radio’s controls can result in a serious injury crash.
• Children should be taught to use crosswalks and obey traffic signals when they cross the street. They should look both ways before entering the street.
• Young pedestrians should wear light colors if possible that can be easily seen by drivers.
• Children who are riding bikes should ride in the same direction as traffic. They should wear a properly-fitted helmet at all times.
Compensation for Injured Pedestrians
A person injured in a pedestrian accident caused by someone else’s negligence has legal rights. Injured victims in such cases can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injury, disability, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a man who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident.
Please call our offices TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com